I found this very interesting. The following is an excerpt of the remarks of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Synaxis of the Heads of Orthodox Churches. It is a little long, but stick with me.
And now, beloved brothers in the Lord, let us turn our thought to the internal affairs of our Orthodox Church, whose leadership the Lord’s mercy has entrusted to us. We have been deigned by our Lord to belong to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, whose faithful continuation and expression in History is our Holy Orthodox Church. We have received and preserve the true faith, as the holy Fathers have transmitted it to us through the Ecumenical Councils of the one undivided Church. We commune of the same Body and Blood of our Lord in the Divine Eucharist, and we participate in the same Sacred Mysteries. We basically keep the same liturgical typikon and are governed by the same Sacred Canons. All these safeguard our unity, granting us fundamental presuppositions for witness in the modern world.
Despite this, we must admit in all honesty that sometimes we present an image of incomplete unity, as if we were not one Church, but rather a confederation or a federation of churches. This is largely a result of the institution of autocephaly, which characterizes the structure of the Orthodox Church. As is known, this institution dates back to the early Church, when the so-called “Pentarchy” of the ancient Apostolic Sees and Churches — namely, of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem — was still valid. The communion or “symphony” of these Sees expressed the unity of the universal Church in the oikoumene. This Pentarchy was severed after the tragic schism of 1054AD between Rome and Constantinople originally, and afterward between Rome and the other Patriarchates. To the four Orthodox Patriarchates that remained after the Schism, from the middle of the second millennium to this day, other autocephalous Churches were added until we have the prevailing organization of the Orthodox Church throughout the world today.
Yet, while the original system of Pentarchy emanated from respect for the apostolicity and particularity of the traditions of these ancient Patriarchates, the autocephaly of later Churches grew out of respect for the cultural identity of nations. Moreover, the overall system of autocephaly was encroached in recent years, through secular influences, by the spirit of ethnophyletism or, still worse, of state nationalism, to the degree that the basis for autocephaly now became the local secular nation, whose boundaries, as we all know, do not remain stable but depend on historical circumstance. So we have reached the perception that Orthodoxy comprises a federation of national Churches, frequently attributing priority to national interests in their relationship with one another. In light of this image, which somewhat recalls the situation in Corinth when the first letter to the Corinthians was written, the Apostle Paul would ask: has Orthodoxy been divided? This question is also posed by many observers of Orthodox affairs in our times.
Of course, the response commonly proffered to this question is that, despite administrational division, Orthodoxy remains united in faith, the Sacraments, etc. But is this sufficient? When before non-Orthodox we sometimes appear divided in theological dialogues and elsewhere; when we are unable to proceed to the realization of the long-heralded Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church; when we lack a unified voice on contemporary issues and, instead, convoke bilateral dialogues with non-Orthodox on these issues; when we fail to constitute a single Orthodox Church in the so-called Diaspora in accordance with the ecclesiological and canonical principles of our Church; how can we avoid the image of division in Orthodoxy, especially on the basis of non-theological, secular criteria?
We need, then, greater unity in order to appear to those outside not as a federation of Churches but as one unified Church. Through the centuries, and especially after the Schism, when the Church of Rome ceased to be in communion with the Orthodox, this Throne was called — according to canonical order — to serve the unity of the Orthodox Church as its first Throne. And it fulfilled this responsibility through the ages by convoking an entire series of Panorthodox Councils on crucial ecclesiastical matters, always prepared, whenever duly approached, to render its assistance and support to troubled Orthodox Churches.
The Ecumenical Patriarch rightly sees the problem. The Church needs to be Visibly unified to the world, not just a federation of independent State churches. That visible unity must come by way of public and open Communion with One See and its Patriarch. The Ecumenical Patriarch even goes so far as to say that this responsibility falls to his see and his person only because of the break with Rome. I think, although I may be reading into this with Roman eyes, that the Ecumenical Patriarch might even agree that were communion with Rome be re-established, the role of being the visible unifier of the Church would no longer fall to him and his See.
Now I know that the Patriarch’s of many of these autocephalous Churches would vehemently disagree with such a notion, whether Rome or Constantinople. With that said, I think that the Ecumenical Patriarch’s pitch to his fellow Orthodox is in an important step in the road to full and visible Unity of the Church as Jesus prayed. If these national Churches come to realize the importance of that visible unity to the world, we will be that much closer to being one, as Jesus and the Father are one.
October 11, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Patrick,
First (off-beat question) thought. Did the Ecumenical Patriarch address the group in Greek or Koine Greek?
Second thought. Their idea of unity is not the same as our Latin concept of unity.
Third thought. If we do achieve ‘any’ kind of unity, be it bare bones that the Pope leads them in a ‘symbolic’ manner (to appease our Orthodox brothers). How do we reconcile the many differences in catechism? Yes, we’ll have eventual Synods and Councils (and numerous other types of meetings), but this is mind-boggling considering that even among the Orthodox there’s different approaches to say contraception for example. [maybe some of our Uniate brothers can help on this].
Final thought. Well it’s not a thought, but after the death of this and the next patriarch, there will be no ‘Constantinople See’. Turkey has a law in place that the Patriarch has to be a Turkish citizen. After Bartholemew and assuming one of the other aging monks, there will be no one. After that last Pogrom against the Greeks in 1955, there are less than 2,000 Greeks in Constantinople (Istanbul) itself AND no monestary/seminary for training.
It’s going to be a mess.
October 11, 2008 at 9:31 pm
We are facing the “Gates of Hell” that Our Lord spoke of in giving Peter the keys and office. And we have faced them before as Christ’s Church. But not so completely as to come from the 5th column within our Church and society as well as those attacks arising now in Hindu India, most Islamicist areas, and China/Burma/Vietnam.
As Christians, we need to seek and build unity if we are to do more than survive and endure. The first step would be a total rapprochement between Rome and Constantinople/Moscow/Lviv/Kiev. That means getting rid of thousand-year old snits and hatreds. Not as easy as it sounds on national levels. These things are subject to the five minute American attention span. Other cultures actually have histories that they recall…not revise or repress or forget.
But I pray for the time when we are really One, Holy, Apostolic and truly Catholic.
October 11, 2008 at 9:42 pm
It is refreshing and humbling to hear the “East” admitting to a severe deficiency (national churches) which is an un-Biblical and non-Traditional construction of their own making.
No wonder Rome, i.e., the Holy Roman Pontiff, was needed to keep this mob together. Only the Petrine Office, willed by Christ, given real authority by Christ and protected by the Holy Spirit, can provide the visible unity the easterners seek. The question is, what are they prepared to give up in order to gain the unity willed by Christ? Their pride, perhaps?
The Catholic account of history, Scripture and Tradition proved most convincing to me, a former protestant who took the challenge to look critically at all the various claims to authority among christians. Swim the Tiber!
October 13, 2008 at 6:11 am
Tito is right and wrong. The unity we seek with the orthodox is not per se the unity the Pope has with his bishops. Rather it is the unity of the historical church between the Patriarchs.
The Patriarchs are not archbishops they would actualy be in charge of their regions preaty much autonomous and yet acting in unity with the Holy See. I know this sounds confusing but it ought to be it has been almost a thousand years since this was practiced.
However in the end any type of dispute in the faith the bishop of Rome would have final say. This was true before the break of 1054 and it should remain so. In other words Papal primacy is not what is in dispute, it is Papal Supremacy.
Does the Pope have the power to remove a Patriarch or to deny him his seat?
This question was never properly answered, for that to happen we would need a new council.
The problem with the catechism is not as bad, due to the fact that the Eastern Catholics have the same believe as their Orthodox counterparts and they are in communion.
October 13, 2008 at 2:22 pm
The Ecumenical Patriarch under the Ottoman system, was head of the Greek Dhimmi. He was the civil and religious governor of all the Greeks on behalf of the Ottoman Caliph. He levied and collected the Jizrah or the tax on non-muslims and other levies. He was the supreme and unquestioned leader of his Dhimmi which included the Greeks of Constantinople (now Istanbul), Antioch (now Damascus), Alexandria (now Cairo), and Jerusalem.
The Ottoman system began unraveling in the 19th century and was put to bed in the 20th. The EP seems to be lamenting the fractius state of Greek Orthodox affairs and seems to be pining for the “good ole days” of living under Sharia Law.
No wonder he finds so few subjects willing to put him at the top of the Greek Orthodox totem pole.
October 14, 2008 at 1:28 am
Great comments, although I would have to agree with Giovanni the most. There is no real issues with catechesis. The two “biggies” are Papal supremacy, purgatory and the filique…in that order. And of course, there is a solution to all of these issues, since they WERE resolved prior to the great schism. But you can’t please everyone (least of all the Russians *cough*).
Bart was in essence lammenting the fact that he is less than a figurehead. The Greek church respect their own autocephalous Metropolitans more than they do him. Other Metropolitans and Patriarchs are outright hostile to Bart *cough* *cough*. He may indeed be willing to put the first foot forward in the cause of Christian unity, but the other churches will not follow him. And this is the Vatican’s problem, since they are adamant on an “all or nothing” strategy. This is especially ironic, considering they can’t even get their wayward SSPX to tow the line.
Sad.
August 10, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Ultimate Church unity and world peace will come when we UNIFY THE DATES OF EASTER, without compromising belief or structure, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has been asking the Church for more than 2 decades to take this easy first step towards real unity.
"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." (Mark 3:24)
"will I, brother, one more season go through the pain I have been going through year after year? or will you give Me rest this time? am I going to drink one more season the Cup of your division? or will you rest My Body and unify, for My sake, the Feast of Easter?
In unifying the date of Easter, you will alleviate My pain, brother, and you will rejoice in Me and I in you; and I will have the sight of many restored;" (Oct 14, 1991 TLIG)
LOVE FOR GOD IS MISSING.
Dialogues, rationalism and intellectualism will not bring about unity. Unity begins not with a signed treaty, but in the heart. All is possible with God and prayer is our contact with Him. Let us pray for the grace to truly repent, for the fruit of repentance is humility and love.
We need to allow the Holy Spirit to invade our minds and hearts so that He is able to direct us towards complete unity and peace. Until we UNIFY THE DATES OF EASTER, we hinder the Holy Spirit's action to come upon us in full force to give us the next step to take. We must UNIFY THE DATES OF EASTER first.
“I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
(1 Cor 1:10 RSV)
Let us ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to UNIFY THE DATES OF EASTER by taking a small step in signing the petition at http://www.onedate.org